BASEBALL

Glavine and Thome should be ashamed.

It has been a dark off season for Major League Baseball's future. It is money versus loyalty and the big stars are running for the bank. In recent weeks two of the games biggest stars, Jim Thome and Tom Glavine, have left the only teams they have ever played for. They both chose money over tradition.

Sure you can argue a guy has the right to get the best deal he can. But we are not talking about guys who are under paid. We are not talking about guys who have been financially abused by their clubs. Last year Glavine was paid eight million dollars a year to play a game. Thome was paid seven and half million for playing what is recreation for the rest of us. It is a little hard to feel sorry for these two guys.

It is also hard to believe they remember the feeling they must have the day their club called for the first time. The day they were young and Major League Baseball was still a dream and not a business. I'm willing to bet that they didn't argue much about salary that day. Oh sure, there probably was some hagling but I have a feeling they would have signed for peanuts and Cracker Jacks.

But now you are millionaires and forget the rest of the world. Forget the kids that have grown into adults watching you play. Forget the kids that have just found baseball and you. They are not important. They do not pay your salary, so who cares. But they do give their money to the Braves and the Indians who in turn paid you a lot of salary over the years. Those kids thought you were special but now they know you are only men. Greedy, money grubbing men. The only satisfaction fans have from watching you two wrestle in the financial mud was seeing who you signed with.

Mr. Thome we wish you well in Philly.We know the Philadelphia fans will wish you a lot of things. Let me be the first to warn you. If you strike out 185 times like you did in 2001 they will run you out of town. I can remember when Mike Schmidt played there. One particular game when the six time home run champ struck out once, only once, and they booed him off the field. Mr. Thome enjoy your stay in the "city of brotherly love".

Mr. Glavine you have chosen a very special kind of place called New York. I hope you enjoy New York as much as you enjoy facing your old team mates. The right handed heavy order of Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones, Gary Sheffield and Javier Lopez should make those New Yorkers love you like they did John Rocker.

I hope the money was worth the abuse and the broken hearted fans. Imagine there was a time when you two were the class of the business. Oh how times change when money is involved.

 Back To The Sports Articles

If there is a sport or an article you would like to see included write to  clubhusband@clubhusband.com and tell us about it.